One Out of Eight

Will you be next? Hatred is a universal condition, and what people do to each other because of it is often extreme and with lasting consequences. No one is immune from the effects. Hard core persecution for spiritual beliefs is very common in the world we live in.  Yesterday morning, Open Doors, a Christian relief organization released its World Watch List for 2020, the 50 Countries Where It's Most Dangerous to Follow Jesus. Yes, China, home of Shanghai Disneyland, is on it at #23. So is the home of the (most likely) next Magic Kingdom, India, at #10.

The list is formed from data researched in two main areas: Violence and Pressure (National Life, Community Life, Family Life, Church Life, and Private Life.) Violence includes murder, rape, imprisonment etc. 

That statistics show an overall increase of 6% from 2019. Here's the current "Top 50":

Jesus himself warned his believers about coming persecution for those who follow after him. The Bible's book of Matthew gives this in detail that even mother and father would turn their children over the be killed and visa versa.

According to this year's report, 260 Million people suffered severe persecution because of their faith- 1 out of 8 believers in Jesus- with almost 3,000 killed, 3,700 wrongfully jailed, and almost 10,000 churches and buildings destroyed. 

Maybe you're not a Christian, and you don't care. But you should. This famous writing by Martin Niemöller - written during the middle of the 1940s- should make you think twice:

When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.

When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.

When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.

When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent;
I wasn't a Jew.

When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.

(Data copyright Open Doors.)